ST. LOUIS — Russellville native Paul Vitale has received the honor of being named to the inaugural Leadership Board for the newly formed St. Louis Rams Training Academy.

During two recent Rams’ community events, Vitale was enlisted to kick off the opening ceremonies for the NFL franchise’s fifth annual Playground Build as well as motivate student athletes during the 2013 NFL High School Player Development Camp at Festus High School.

Vitale is a professional speaker based in Little Rock whose diverse client base includes ESPN, Walmart, the St. Louis Rams, Tyson Foods, ARVEST Bank, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the University of Arkansas, and the Minnesota Vikings.

This marks the third consecutive year Vitale has been invited to speak on behalf of the Rams organization.

The Rams and Elite Football opened the NFL’s first youth training academy that will give kids all the tools they need to learn how to play football the Rams way, both on and off the field.

The Rams hosted a youth football camp earlier this month, featuring the 2013 Rams rookie class, to debut the training academy.

The 20,000-square-foot indoor training and development facility in Chesterfield, Mo., is outfitted with state-of-the-art training equipment and video analysis labs. It also includes a turf field, Olympic-style weight room with Rams branded power mats, and a speed track with a laser timing system.

In conjunction with the new facility, the Rams created the Training Academy Leadership Board, led by Rams head coach Jeff Fisher. Other members include Vitale, Isaac Bruce, Jack Youngblood, Marshall Faulk, Orlando Pace, Torry Holt, broadcaster Kara Henderson Snead, NFL executive Joe Browne, professional wrestler John Cena, ESPN.com contributor Anna McDonald, Elite Football president Matt Biermann and Rams fan development manager Kyle Eversgerd.

Board members will contribute to the off-the-field curriculum known as the Rams Leadership Program and lead discussions around various leadership characteristics including teamwork, communication, dedication, perseverance, passion, and community service.

This summer, the Rams will kick things off by hosting three weeks of football camps for kids ages 6-14 in mid-July. For more information, please visit www.stlouisrams.com/trainingacademy.